The closest thing you can use is version 6.0, which looks exactly like 7.0, but you navigate with the trackpad instead of the touchscreen, which the 9700 does not have. I had used 6.0.0.499 a lot and to me it is basically using 7.0 without the touchscreen. It uses up a lot of your device RAM, and periodically you may have to do battery pulls to free up some memory from time to time to keep it snappy. If my 9900 breaks down or gets ripped off, I would be perfectly happy to go back to my good ol' 9700.

Want 7.1 just for the WiFi hotspot? Tell your friends to get their own data plan and stop leeching off you.